Trump links NFL player's death to Democrats' impasse over immigration

President Donald Trump focused on immigration and crime with tweets that condemned the death of NFL player Edwin Jackson, who was allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant who is now facing a drunk-driving charge. Jackson was killed while he and a driver were stopped along a highway in Indiana and struck by an illegal immigrant from Guatemala who had been deported multiple times.

Trump tweeted on Tuesday, “This is just one of many such preventable tragedies. We must get the Dems to get tough on the Border, and with illegal immigration, FAST!” In another tweet, he called for an end to “chain migration and the visa lottery” as “outdated programs that hurt our economic and national security.” This week, the president appeared to reject a bipartisan immigration bill proposed by Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Chris Coons (D-Dela.) as a “total waste of time.”

Both parties are seeking to reach a deal to address the issue of the more than 800,000 illegal immigrants who came to the United States as minors and benefit from the Obama-era Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) that protects them from deportation. Trump rescinded DACA, while the deadline for DACA beneficiaries is March 5. The McCain/Coons proposal would protect the approximately 800,000 DACA beneficiaries and improve border security but did not include funding specifically for Trump’s projected border wall.

On Monday, Trump tweeted, “Any deal on DACA that does not include STRONG border security and the desperately needed WALL is a total waste of time. March 5th is rapidly approaching and the Dems seem not to care about DACA. Make a deal!” Trump continues to insist on getting sufficient funds to build the border wall.

Last month, he also rejected an immigration bill that was drafted by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois. Congress’ inability to reach an agreement on immigration was a contributor to the government shutdown of January. If Congress is unable to pass a spending bill by Thursday, the federal government may shut down again.

McCain said in a statement on Monday that his immigration proposal would help Congress pass a long-term budget and resolve disparities over spending caps. McCain’s statement said that the bill "would address the most urgent priorities of protecting Dreamers, strengthening border security, alleviating the backlog in immigration courts, and addressing the root causes of illegal immigration."

We need a 21st century MERIT-BASED immigration system. Chain migration and the visa lottery are outdated programs that hurt our economic and national security. https://t.co/rP9Gtr2E5N

So disgraceful that a person illegally in our country killed @Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson. This is just one of many such preventable tragedies. We must get the Dems to get tough on the Border, and with illegal immigration, FAST!